1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of this disclosure relates to an information apparatus and an information processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There exists a system where networked apparatuses (e.g., image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals and laser printers) collaborate with each other to provide various functions. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-095171, for example, discloses a system where one of apparatuses in the system functions as a host apparatus, the remaining apparatuses function as client apparatuses, and the host apparatus centrally manages address book data shared by the apparatuses.
However, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-095171 merely discloses that the host apparatus centrally manages address book data including frequently-used addresses or destinations, and does not disclose how the host apparatus is selected. Here, when the performance of the host apparatus is low or the host apparatus is frequently used, the host apparatus cannot respond quickly to requests from client apparatuses and cannot provide a central management function effectively. Also, due to the load of the central management function, the processing speed of the entire host apparatus may be reduced.